Haitao pulled into the street and drove off. He didn’t offer up any conversation, so Spencer held his tongue, staring out the window at the passing lights of the city. They left downtown for Interstate 5 going north, taking the floating bridge across the dark waters of Lake Washington. It started to drizzle halfway across before it turned into proper rain on the other side. Spencer wasn’t sure what city Haitao was taking him to, but even through the rain, he could tell that the houses there were better classified as mansions and way, way out of his price range unless he committed some hefty financial crimes.
The streets were winding and twisted uphill as Haitao drove through the rich neighborhood, eventually pulling into a gated driveway, engine idling as he lowered the window. A metal fence lined with bushes and trees to block the view of the property pricked Spencer’s awareness with active, heavy protective wards.
“You have some fancy defenses out here,” Spencer said.
“Only people with the command trigger can get past them.”
“I don’t have that.”
“You’re crossing over with me.”
Haitao stretched his arm out toward the control box, the front of it containing what looked like a biometric screen rather than a number pad. Haitao pressed his thumb to it for scanning purposes. The metal gate swung open on silent hinges and gears, letting Haitao drive toward the enclosed, unattached garage. He killed the engine and didn’t bother to wait for Spencer as he got out of the car, fully expecting him to follow.
Spencer made a face but hurried after Haitao for the flagstone path that led to the front door. A vampire stood guard on the porch beneath the overhang, attention not on them but on the front of the property. The porch light was off, and Spencer figured that was intentional. Haitao didn’t acknowledge the vampire beyond a slight nod before he pushed open the front door. Spencer followed him inside a mansion that definitely put Caitlin’s coven property to shame.
Warmth filled the space, making Spencer’s new wool coat unnecessary. He looked around at the large foyer and the arched entryways leading off to other areas of the home. A staircase was to his immediate right. The multicolored tile on the floor had been placed in no meaningful pattern. The entry table had a pitcher of flowers in a vase but no water and bread for hospitality purposes. He could see a living room with comfortable-looking couches and armchairs to his left. A fire burning in the fireplace there caught Fatima’s attention, her ears perking up at the sight.
A good place to nap, she said pointedly.
“For you, maybe.” Spencer looked back at where Haitao had been, opening his mouth to speak, but he shut it with an irritated huff. Haitao had disappeared, clearly leaving Spencer to fend for himself for the moment. “All right, let’s check out the fireplace.”
Fatima led the way into the living room, trotting over to sprawl out in front of the fireplace on the large area rug, getting comfortable. No one else was around, so Spencer figured he was supposed to make himself at home. He shrugged out of his coat, suit jacket, tie, and shoulder harness, leaving them draped over an armchair before wandering toward the pair of french doors that overlooked an impressive backyard. He eyed the metal shutters folded back against the wall curiously, noticing that the windows had the same sort of setup bolted into the walls and ceiling.
Peering through the glass panes, Spencer took in the softly glowing backyard lights that lined the patio on the higher terrace. A pathway snaked down an incline from the patio to what he assumed was a lower terrace that he couldn’t really see.
“What did your search uncover?” Takoma asked from behind him.
Spencer hadn’t heard Takoma arrive, but when he turned around, the master vampire was only a couple of feet away, dressed in worn jeans and a Seahawks T-shirt. His long hair was loose for once, falling down his back. A few stray strands had drifted over his shoulder to frame the left side of his face. Spencer’s fingers itched with the desire to tuck them behind Takoma’s ear.
“Not a lot I can share with you.” At Takoma’s narrow-eyed look, Spencer grimaced. “I’m trying to keep this aboveboard as much as possible. Most of what we were searching for didn’t have anything to do with your Night Court.”
“But it had everything to do with the Cascade Coven.”
“Yes.”
“And what did you find that pertained to my Night Court?”
“It’s more that I have questions I think you might have answers for me as my CI. It’s safer to ask through that avenue.”
“Because you brazenly decided without my consent that I’m useful to you under a designation your government uses but never wholly protects.”
Spencer winced. “I never apologized for that, did I?”
“Would you even mean it?”
“Yes,” Spencer said quietly. “I know what it’s like to not be given a choice. I’m sorry I brought you on as a CI without asking first.”
“But not sorry enough to not do so.”
“Means to an end. You can’t tell me you haven’t done the same thing.”
The corners of Takoma’s mouth twitched upward in a humorless smile. “And here you humans think you’re better than my kind.”
“I don’t think that.”
“You’d be one of the few.”
Takoma stepped closer, hooking a finger beneath Spencer’s chin to tip his head up for a kiss. Fangs pricked his skin but didn’t cut when Spencer opened his mouth, letting Takoma kiss him. He tasted like copper, and Spencer idly wondered who he had fed from if it hadn’t been Alyona. When they broke apart, Takoma touched his fingertips to the side of Spencer’s throat, right over the aching bruise of the bite marks he’d left and which Spencer still hadn’t found the time to heal even a little.
